what he missed
by moonshine2012
Summary: he finally gets the chance to get married... but to the wrong girl! and what if his decision makes someone lose their life?
1. blinded from the start

A/N: hey! this is my first prince of tennis fanfic to be posted here... by the way, thanks for **Mrs. Hatake Itachi**... the idea (or mostly the first chapter) is from her story, **_first come, first serve _**of the series of stories from **_Book of Love Prince of tennis Style_**... i just revised it... hehe... arigato gosaimasu! here ot goes...

Disclaimer: i don't own Prince of Tennis... and i don't own the character Ayako...

Chapter 1: Blinded from the Start

"Sakuno, are you sure there's nothing I can do to stop you from going

"Sakuno, are you sure there's nothing I can do to stop you from going?" Tomoka, her best friend, asked her.

"Gomenasai, Tomo-chan. I've made my decision already. I won't be able to make it through if I go to Ryoma-kun's wedding. I won't be able to take the pain," Sakuno replied, looking down at the floor.

"But Sakuno, you can stay at my place, or maybe at your cousin's place or any of our old friends place. You don't have to go to America just to avoid Ryoma!" Tomoka reasoned with her.

"Knowing Ryoma-kun, I'm sure he'll go looking if one of his friends went missing, especially on his wedding day. And he has so many resources. The only way I see that he couldn't find me is if I go to America. He wouldn't be able to follow me there," she said.

"But Sakuno!" Tomoka whined. "My wedding's just a few weeks away! You have to be there! I can't get married if you aren't there. I can't find anyone to replace you as my maid of honor!"

"Tomo-chan, I promise I'll be at your wedding," Sakuno said. "And besides, I can't totally forget Japan. I still have someone waiting for me here," she added.

"Well, okay. But make sure you'll come back," Tomoka said then hugged her tight.

Sakuno became quiet then said, "Tomo, I have a favor to ask. While I'm away, can you take care of him for me? I don't know who to ask. You're the only one I can think of when it comes to him."

Tomoka's features softened and said, "Sure! I promise I'll take good care of him for you. But Sakuno, have you told him that you're leaving?" she asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it Tomo-chan. And I told him already that you'll be taking care of him for the meanwhile," Sakuno replied.

"You take care of yourself, okay? Because you still have a wedding to be maid of honor in," Tomo said then they both chuckled.

They hugged one last time and when Sakuno finished packing her things; she went to the car and left, leaving with her the memories and emotions that haunted her.

**At the church…**

Ryoma was getting ready for his wedding with his best friend and sempai, Momo. He had been stunned then suddenly overjoyed when Ryoma told him that he was marrying Ayako and up until now, he hasn't been able to ask Momo why his reaction was like that.

"Echizen, I'm just going to go out and talk to the receptionist, 'kay?" he said then he left.

**Outside…**

"Where could that receptionist be?" Momo said.

"Hey, Momo!" Eiji called him. Worry spelled all over his face.

"What's up?" Momo asked.

"It's about Sakuno. Nya, Ochibi is so mean! He hurt her again!" Eiji said.

"Why? What happened to Sakuno?" Momo asked, starting to worry too.

"Waahhh!! She left an hour ago because Ochibi is going to marry somebody else! She's going to America! She's at the airport now!" Eiji wailed.

At this, Momo paled and left Eiji there, wailing. He went to the receptionist and talked to her about the wedding but still, his mind was in the issue about Sakuno's departure.

**Inside the groom's room…**

After a few minutes, Momo returned but he seemed different and Ryoma wasn't the type of guy not to notice if it's about his friends. Momo seemed so spaced out so he planned to find out what happened.

"Momo, what's up with you? First, you were so excited and a bit spaced out and now you're so depressed and more spaced out," he said.

"Nothing," Momo replied.

"I don't believe you," Ryoma said and looked at him knowingly. "You're not the type of guy to answer in just one word. And you're too quiet," he said.

"I told you I'm fine!" Momo snapped then he suddenly apologized at a stunned & shocked Ryoma.

"Gomenasai, Ryoma. It's just that, I'm really worried about Sakuno," he said.

At that said, Ryoma suddenly froze and became more worried, not for his friend but for Sakuno. 'What could have happened to her? Wait, how come I'm this worried for her? I've never been like this towards anyone, not even Ayako. What is wrong with me?'

"Tell me, what happened to Sakuno?" he asked.

"Don't worry your head off. Nothing's wrong. You have your own wedding to think about," Momo replied. Really, is Ryoma that dense? He would've told him if only he didn't want to spoil Ryoma's wedding day. Everyone knows he loves Sakuno besides, well, him. He gets jealous when guys flirt with her and they even nearly never come out alive. And he's always been with her ever since what? Junior high? And Ryoma's never ever been that kind to any girl except Sakuno. He's even a bit cocky towards Ayako.

"I still don't believe you, Momo. Tell me what happened!" Ryoma snapped.

"Do you really want to know what happened?! Well, she left! And it's all because of you! Are you happy now?" Momo shouted at him.

Ryoma stood there; stunned, speechless, shocked. Stunned for Momo shouted at him, speechless for he was the cause of Sakuno's flight and shocked because he was feeling something inside of him that's totally different.

_**Ryoma's POV**_

_Why am I so worried about her? I know I like her but I love Ayako. That's why I'm gonna marry her… right?_

Flashbacks suddenly appeared in his mind and realization struck him like a fast bullet train. He is so stupid! He has to get her back!

_**End of POV**_

"Momo, tell me where she is!" Ryoma shouted, holding Momo by his collar.

"Why should I tell you? Do you want to hurt her again?" he replied seriously.

"Did I… hurt her that much?" Ryoma let go of Momo then his face suddenly saddened for the first time in front of someone.

"Echizen…" Momo looked at him and patted him on the back.

"I'll tell you where she is if you give me one good reason for me to do that," Momo said, feeling sad for his friend. Hey, maybe he's finally figured out his feelings for her.

"I need to tell her I'm sorry for hurting her and for being such an idiot. I need to tell her that I love her and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her," he said.

Momo was a bit stunned but he knew this was coming. He knew that someday, Ryoma would wake up and realize the truth that he loved Sakuno before he made the biggest mistake of his life.

"She's at the airport," Momo finally said.

Ryoma looked up at him and saw Momo smiling at him. He stood up and gave Momo a brotherly hug before he started running off. But then he stopped.

"Momo, can you do me another favor? Can you postpone the wedding today? And also, tell Ayako the reason why I can't marry her. If she doesn't listen, tell her I'll talk to her tonight," Ryoma said.

"Sure thing, Ryoma!" And he went off running to the airport after hearing Momo and the others cheering and shouting behind him, "Go Ochibi, nyah!" and "Go get her, Echizen!" and "Stop her now before it's too late, BURNING!!"

**At the airport…**

Sakuno was patiently waiting for her flight going to America. It seems that there's been a problem that caused her flight to be delayed for almost 2 hours. At first she was patient and a bit optimistic about the delay but now, it was starting to annoy her to no end.

'Why did my flight have to be delayed? I think the gods are against me,' she thought. 'Why? This delay is just making me more nervous about leaving. What could be happening now at Ryoma-kun's wedding? Waaahhhh!! It's just hurting me more on the inside. I have to stop thinking about him. But how? With this delay, it just brings back painful memories of Ryoma-kun leaving for America for his tennis tournaments so how can I forget him?'

While Sakuno was busy with her thoughts, someone was frantically looking for her in the crowded airport. And he was getting pissed off. I mean, really pissed off.

'Where could she be? Damn, that nosy reporter! He just delayed me in looking for her. If she's already on that plane, I'll make him pay. He'll wish that he never bumped into me. Now, where the hell could she be?! I…'

He was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a petite woman with long auburn hair sitting alone on the bench, looking all flustered with waiting. He smirked and said to himself, 'I hope my plan works or else I'm going to go crazy.'

Meanwhile, Sakuno was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice that someone walked up to her.

"So, you're leaving me without even saying goodbye?" she heard the person say. She recognized the voice so fast that she didn't even notice that she already stood up. (A/N: Ryoma was a few steps away from her so he's not exactly **in front** of her. Because of she was, she would've bumped her head on his.)

"Ryoma-kun!"

Ryoma smirked. He still did have the power to make her blush. And right now, she was blushing mad.

"I mean... uhmm… Echizen, wha... what are you doing here?" she quickly said while looking down on the ground.

'Oi, what happened to Ryoma-kun? So, she's trying to ignore me, is she? Well, let's see if she can continue that game of hers.' Ryoma thought.

"Why did you decide to go to America, and now of all times?" he asked her instead.

"It's none of your business, Echizen," she replied as coldly as she can.

"Well, it's my business now because I'm here to stop you from leaving," he said, staring at her.

"Why would you stop me? And isn't your wedding going to start in just a couple of hours? You should be at the church preparing," she said.

"What wedding? If I have wedding, I'll be preparing now but since I'm here, then there's no wedding," he replied.

"What are you talking about, Echizen? You do have a wedding and you're marrying Ayako. Didn't you propose to her? Didn't you tell her you love her? So go to her and don't stop me from leaving. In the first place, why would you even bother doing that?" she said, forcing out a fake laugh.

"Simple. Because you're important to me," he replied.

"And since when did I become that important to you that you had to miss YOUR wedding?" she replied. "And since when did you even care?" she added, barely audible but still Ryoma heard it.

"You were already that important to me but I was just stupid not to notice. And for your information, since the first time we've met, I already cared," he said, walking closer to her. "Why did you think I saved you from those guys from the train? Why do you think I always accompany you and teach you tennis even though you were the worst tennis player I have ever seen?" he said.

At first, she was starting to feel a blush creeping up to her face again. She mentally scolded herself. 'Oh my gosh! He's too close. I can feel my heart beating faster than ever. But…wait! What did he just say?!' and she remembered Ryoma saying, _"Why do you think I… teach you tennis even though you were the worst tennis player I have ever seen?" _At this, she started to feel her cheeks feeling hot, not because she was blushing but because she was mad at him. 'How dare he mock my tennis skills!'

"Echizen, if you're just here to mock me about how I play tennis, then you better go home and leave me alone!" she shouted at him then pushed him away.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about, Sakuno?!" a confused Ryoma said.

"Oh, you always have to be Mr.-High-and-Mighty! You're better than everybody else. Everyone is just mada mada dane," she replied sarcastically.

"What the?! What are you talking about?! I don't understand anything you're saying!" he said, starting to get pissed off again.

"Oh, now you forget! Didn't you just say I'm the worst tennis player you've ever seen?" said an angry Sakuno.

"What?! I didn't say…" and he stopped when he remembered that he did mention that. 'Shit! Me and my big mouth!' he thought.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just…" he said, trying to convince her. But she didn't listen.

"Stop it! Just leave me alone, Echizen. I don't want anything to do with you anymore!" she said, walking away from him.

"Sakuno, come back! I said I'm sorry! Will you just give me a chance to explain?" Ryoma said. Then he grabbed her hand, facing her to him.

"What do you want to say? That I'm a no-good tennis player? That I'm such an idiot for waiting for you for all this years? Well, I'm done. Just leave me be. Please," she said, her eyes starting to water. Then Ryoma let her hand go.

'I hurt her again…' he thought, looking at the ground, eyes covered by his bangs.

Sakuno just looked at him, sadness in her eyes but she knew that she had to leave him because he loves someone else. She's just an important **friend **to him that's why he's doing this. And with that, she started to walk away, leaving behind Ryoma Echizen, the Prince of Tennis.

_end of chapter_


	2. loss

_Last chapter:_

"_What do you want to say? That I'm a no-good tennis player? That I'm such an idiot for waiting for you for all this years? Well, I'm done. Just leave me be. Please," she said, her eyes starting to water. Then Ryoma let her hand go._

'_I hurt her again…' he thought, looking at the ground, eyes covered by his bangs._

_Sakuno just looked at him, sadness in her eyes but she knew that she had to leave him because he loves someone else. She's just an important __**friend **__to him that's why he's doing this. And with that, she started to walk away, leaving behind Ryoma Echizen, the Prince of Tennis._

_End of chapter_

Chapter 2: Loss

'I'm such a fool! I thought I could get over him but then he suddenly turns up and tries to stop me. It's as if he liked me. I'm such a damn idiot to fall for him again.' Sakuno thought as she walked back to the bench where she was waiting at before Ryoma came. Then suddenly, her flight was announced.

"Flight number 160 going to America. We're sorry for the delay. All passengers please get ready and assemble. The plane leaves in 20 minutes. Thank you."

(A/N: gomenasai. I'm not sure if that's what they say in airports…)

Ryoma was broken from his reverie by the announcement. Then he suddenly remembered that he hadn't told her how he loved her. He was already getting there when she suddenly got mad at him. Well, it was his fault anyway. But nevertheless, he had to tell her or it may be the biggest mistake he will make in his whole life.

He frantically searched for her again, now more determined to tell her how he felt. When he saw her figure walking way, he ran as fast as he could to reach her, before it's too late.

Meanwhile, Sakuno got up and brought her luggage with her to the benches where other people on her flight were. When she had placed her belongings on one chair, she went to buy some drink. But before she got there, she looked back at the doors of the airport and sighed.

'Well, goodbye Japan. Goodbye, everyone. Goodbye… Ryoma-kun,' she thought. And when she was about to turn around, she heard someone calling her name.

"Mama! Mama Sakuno!"

She turned around. There was only one person who called her that.

"Koji!"

She ran to him and hugged him tight. She was so surprised when she saw him there.

"Koji, baby, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with Auntie Tomoka?" she asked him sweetly.

"I told Auntie Tomoka that I'll come here to say goodbye to you, Mama. Uncle Kaoru dropped me off here and he's waiting for me now. I wanted to give you something, Mama," Koji said and he handed her a doll keychain. It was a boy doll and it looked exactly like Koji. "Do you like it?"

"Of course! Arigatou, Koji," Sakuno said and hugged the boy again.

"I have another one like it," he said and showed her another doll keychain. It was a girl doll and it looked just like… Sakuno.

"She looks very pretty, Koji," she smiled, teary-eyed.

"She looks just like you, Mama," he said.

"Yeah, it does," she replied.

Silence then enveloped them. Then Koji started to speak.

"You will come back for me, right Mama?" Koji asked, looking at her.

She looked at him and remembered when she first embraced him a couple of years ago. And now, he was already seven years old. He grew up so fast. It seemed only yesterday that she was rocking a 2-year old Koji to sleep. But seeing him now before she leaves, seeing his eyes, she remembered what a great loss he had to endure. It was very traumatizing on his part and she didn't want him to suffer again.

"Of course I'm coming back, baby. I wouldn't leave you. I'm just going to get a little vacation from all the work. I promise I'll be back in a couple of weeks. And, of course, I wouldn't miss seeing my little Koji being the ring bearer in Aunt Tomoka's wedding, wouldn't I?' she said.

He chuckled then held her hand. They hugged for the last time before Koji ran, going to the doors, and back to Kaoru. She stared at him and when he was out of eyesight, she cried. It was hard for her to leave him all alone. They were both alike. Both abandoned at such a young age. She cried harder at the thoughts of the past. Then she suddenly felt a hand touch her shoulder and she turned around and saw someone she never expected. Ryoma Echizen.

"Echizen! What are you still doing here?" she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I came to apologize for what I said. I didn't mean it," he said.

"I… it's ok. I'm sorry if I yelled at you. You should get going now. You probably need to explain Ayako why you're late for the wedding," Sakuno said. She turned around and started walking when Ryoma grabbed her hand.

"Sakuno, will you just stop and listen for awhile? I came to apologize and explain," Ryoma said, looking straight into her eyes.

"Ryoma, please. I want to just leave and get some peace of mind. You obviously had been brain washed by someone who plans to sabotage you and Ayako's wedding," she replied.

"Maybe. But I think someone just woke me up from a dream I was having. I forced myself to believe that I loved Ayako. But the truth was, I just wanted to get you out of my head," he said. He wanted Sakuno to know everything: how she distracted him, attracted him and most of all, made him fall in love with her.

"Sakuno, I…" he was stopped short when they heard a cars beeping and a crash. People were shouting everywhere, going to the place where the supposed crash came from.

"What the?! What's happening back there?" Ryoma asked. He then pulled a guy who was running with the crowd and asked him.

"Someone got hit by a car. They say it's a kid, a boy. About 7 years old I think. He was walking down the street, alone, when this car came speeding up then crashed into him. Poor kid. I think he just went here to say goodbye to his mama. And now, they might never see each other again. Well, I gotta get going now," he said to them.

Ryoma was a bit saddened for the boy but he had more important matters to attend to. He turned to look at Sakuno. She was shocked, to say the least. Thoughts were spinning through her head when suddenly; something came out of her bag. It was Koji's gift. Sakuno paled.

"Oi! Sakuno!" Ryoma called out to her but it seems she was spaced out by what the guy said. He was about to touch her shoulder when she suddenly stood up and ran to where the accident was.

"Oi! Where are you going?" he called to her. Still no answer. They just kept running and running until they reached the place of the accident.

Sakuno, upon arrival at the scene, pushed the people away. And when she saw the car and the boy, she fell down on her knees in front of the body, put her hands on her mouth then cried.

"Koji!" she shouted.

At that same moment, Ryoma arrived and saw his love, holding the boy in her arms, crying and saying out his name.

"Koji! Koji, wake up. It's me. Wake up," Sakuno said to the boy.

"What the?! Sakuno… you know him?" he asked her, tapping her shoulder. She nodded. Ryoma sat beside her and looked at the boy. The boy suddenly stirred.

"Mama…" he said.

"Hai. Koji, I'm here. I'm here. Don't worry. Mama's here," she said while rocking the boy body.

Ryoma looked at her, shocked. Mama? How can she be a mother? How can she be this kid's mom? Did something happen to her before? He planned to ask her but not right now.

"Sakuno, don't worry. He'll be okay. I promise," Ryoma comforted her. Then he shouted to the crowd, "Someone call an ambulance!"

"We already called. They'll be here in a few minutes," one of the airport's staff said.

Ryoma turned to look at Sakuno and the boy, Koji. It pained him to see Sakuno suffering, crying. Then thoughts ran in his head.

'Is this how she looked like when she saw me and Ayako together? Damn it. I'm so stupid. If ever she comes back to me, I promise never to make her cry again. I'll make her the happiest woman in the world.'

While he sat there, pondering his thoughts, many people started to watch them all the more. And unbeknownst to them, someone was watching very intently, waiting for the right time to kill the Prince of Tennis.

'I'll make him pay. Because of him, I lost everything I had. Ever since that day he beat me. I lost my fans, my friends, my family and my career. But never again. After this, I'll be famous again. I'll be number one. And you'll be buried ten feet under,' he thought, laughing maniacally to himself. He stood in his hiding place and started to aim his gun at Ryoma's left chest. 'Straight to his heart.'

Sakuno was cradling Koji in her arms. Then, when she heard that Ryoma became silent, she started all the more to worry. She looked up to him and then she saw it. Someone was inside one of the cars there and was aiming a gun right at Ryoma! She couldn't be wrong. That guy was planning to kill Ryoma!

'You're dead, Echizen!' the guy thought. And he pulled the trigger.

"Ryoma-kun, watch out!"

Sakuno, seeing the trigger being pulled, suddenly stood up and pushed Ryoma aside, causing the bullet to hit her below her chest. Ryoma looked behind him and saw it happen. Everything happened too fast that even he wasn't able to do anything. He saw Sakuno hit by the bullet and she was pushed backwards. He went to her and held her in his arms.

"Sakuno! Sakuno, wake up! Can you hear me?" he asked her.

"Ryo… Ryoma…-kun… daijoubu… desu ka?" she asked him. She had a hard time to speak and pain was starting to overwhelm her.

"I'm fine. I should be the one asking you the same question. Daijoubu?" he asked.

"I… I'm fine. Koji…. is he… ok?" she asked, moving her head to the left to see Koji.

"Yeah, he's gonna be fine. I already asked one of the people here to apply pressure on his wounds so it would't get worse," he replied.

Sakuno looked at him again. "Ryoma-kun. I saw this guy… in the car… by the left parking… aiming a gun at you… I had to save you… Ryoma-kun… I had to…because…" she started saying.

"Ssshhh," Ryoma silenced her. "Stop talking. You gonna lose more blood of you keep on doing that," he said.

"Ryoma-kun… I just… wanted… to… tell you… that I… saved you because I… still… loved… you," she said.

Ryoma looked at her with a spark in his eyes and he smiled at her. Not a smirk or a grin but a genuine smile.

"I know. I feel the same way. I love you too, Sakuno," he said then he kissed her lightly on the lips.

Sakuno felt happy again. She now knew that her prince loved her. But then, she remembered that this may be the last time they speak. Then she looked at her left, at Koji. She knew what to do.

"Ryoma-kun… promise me something," she said.

"Hn."

"If… if ever I… die… please take care of… Koji for me…" she said.

Ryoma was shocked. "You're not going to die," he said. Hell, he would never let it happen.

"Ryoma-kun, promise me," she said hardly, looking him straight in the eyes. She was serious.

"Okay. I promise. Now don't ever say you're going to die and leave me because you're not," he said.

"Okay. I… ahh," she gasped. She held the area below her chest where the bullet hit her and held on to it. It was starting to hurt more. She couldn't take it.

"Where's the ambulance?! Where's the bloody ambulance?!" Ryoma shouted while seeing Sakuno in pain.

"Ryoma-kun…"

He looked at her. "What is it?" he asked.

"It… hurts…" she said then looked at her abdomen.

"Don't worry. Soon the pain will be gone," he said comforting her. But it was said more to him than to her. He was having more difficulty seeing her like this.

Sakuno looked at him. Pain was evident in his eyes. Then she smiled at him and touched his cheek with her left hand. He looked at her with utmost care then he kissed her lips lightly.

"Ryoma-kun… no matter what happens… I will… always… love… you," and with that, her hand fell from his cheek and her eyes started to flutter, closing, never to see the light of day again. Maybe.

_End of chapter_

A/N: so how was it? This is a different ending I thought up while reading Mrs. Hatake Itachi's work.

**Mrs. Hatake Itachi- **_is it okay? (" ,)_


	3. will you ever wake up?

Last chapter:

**A/N: **hello guys! I'm back! Sorry for the delay… I got side tracked then busy then GROUNDED for 2 weeks from the computer… that means no writing & no ! Waahh!! But I'm back now and here's the 3rd chapter… Hope you like it! :D

_Last chapter:_

"_Don't worry. Soon the pain will be gone," he said comforting her. But it was said more to him than to her. He was having more difficulty seeing her like this._

_Sakuno looked at him. Pain was evident in his eyes. Then she smiled at him and touched his cheek with her left hand. He looked at her with utmost care then he kissed her lips lightly._

"_Ryoma-kun… no matter what happens… I will… always… love… you," and with that, her hand fell from his cheek and her eyes started to flutter, closing, never to see the light of day again. Maybe._

_End of chapter_

Chapter 3: Will you ever wake up?

Silence.

There was nothing but silence. And weeping.

Weeping for someone so dear to their hearts. They never expected that this would happen. And to say that she had just received happiness, just for it to be taken away from her at the same time. Nobody could utter a word, even though they wanted to, for it will just make the pain harder to bear. And… it will be much harder for **him** to take if ever she really never… wakes up.

Ryoma was there at the hospital with all his sempais, waiting in front of the operating room where Sakuno was in. Everyone was weeping, especially Tomoka. She was holding on to her fiancée, Kaoru Kaidoh, whom everyone thought would never actually marry. The others were just in a state of shock or were silently crying, not wanting to add more pain to the others. Then suddenly, their coach and Sakuno's grandmother, Coach Ryuuzaki, came and asked for Ryoma. She went to him and sat beside him.

"How is she?" she asked.

"I don't know. She's been in there for almost 3 hours now. They wouldn't tell us anything. All I now is that, when someone comes out of that room, they all seem to have so much blood on there clothes," Ryoma told her, spaced out.

"And where's Koji? The kid with her?" she asked.

"He's in another operating room," he said.

"He's in the other ER. He's lost much blood but he'll be okay. They're operating on him now. Good thing he didn't have any broken bones and the he wasn't hit that bad," Fuji said, walking up to them.

"Good. I'll go to him now. Echizen," she said, turning to face him. "I know you did your best to save her. But whatever happens, I know that she's happy because you loved her. That's all that matters to her right now." And she left, bringing with her Fuji to Koji's room.

"… _I know that she's happy because you loved her. That's all that matters to her right now."_

Coach Ryuuzaki's words rang in his head. He did make her happy, but it's a bit too late. If he had realized his love for her before, none of this would have happened. And it's his fault this happened to her. He was supposed to be the one hit by the bullet, not her. But she loved him too much, that it ran to the extent of giving her own life. He suddenly remembered the last minutes she spoke to him.

**Flashback**

"Ryoma-kun… no matter what happens… I will… always… love… you," and with that, her hand fell from his cheek and her eyes started to flutter close.

"Sakuno! Hey, wake up! Don't give up on me," Ryoma said, tears starting to form in his eyes. He looked at the crowd and started to shout.

"Hey! Where the hell is that damn ambulance?! She's dying over here!" he shouted.

While Ryoma was frantically calling out to the crowd, Kaoru Kaidoh was sitting in a bench just a few meters away from the place of the accident, waiting for Koji to come back.

'Where could that kid be?' he thought. 'He's just going to say goodbye to Sakuno. What's taking him so long? If this keeps up, Tomoka is surely going to get mad at me.' And since he didn't want that to happen, he stood up and went to look for Koji.

As he was walking closer to the airport, he saw a huge crowd in front of the entrance of the airport. Because of his curiosity, (A/N: he's been around Inui too much.) he went to the crowd and asked some of the people there what the commotion was all about.

"Well, this kid got hit by a car. Then this woman came out of the airport and held the kid. She must be the kid's mom. Then this guy came out and was comforting her. Then suddenly, the woman shouted and pushed the guy and she started bleeding. She was hit by a bullet. I think it was supposed to be for the guy. The kid and the woman are still bleeding and the ambulance is still nowhere to be seen. I tell you; their life's like a drama series on TV. This guy…" he just kept on blabbering on & on so he left him. He started dialing on his phone and called some people. He also called the hospital. Then, he approached the couple.

"Echizen."

Ryoma, knowing the owner of the voice, looked up and called him.

"Kaidoh."

Kaidoh was, so to say, shocked in his own way. It was because of Ryoma's face. There were tear stains on his face and for the first time, he looked battered and devoid of life. His eyes were full of sadness and desperation. For a person who didn't seem to care, it was hard for Kaidoh to see Ryoma like that. Ryoma's eyes seemed to be pleading him to help them. He turned around and picked up Koji's body. Then, he spoke.

"Echizen, follow me. We better be quick if we want to be able to save them," he said, looking at Sakuno's limp form in Ryoma's arms and at Koji's lifeless one.

Ryoma stood up at Kaidoh's words and carried Sakuno, bridal style. Then, they both ran through the crowd and to Kaidoh's car. They went inside and Kaidoh sped up, going through the highway as fast as he can towards the nearest hospital. When they arrived, Sakuno and Koji were both rushed to different emergency rooms. Ryoma stayed with Sakuno while Kaidoh, with Koji. Then, after a few minutes, there friends came and started asking questions then afterwards, bursting into tears. After a few hours of waiting, Coach Ryuuzaki came.

**End of flashback**

Ryoma was suddenly disturbed from his thoughts when the doors of the ER opened and a doctor came out. He scanned the room and stopped when he saw Ryoma.

"Are you the patient's relative?" he asked Ryoma.

"No, I'm not her relative but I'm very close to her," he said.

The doctor seemed to hesitate to tell him anything because he wasn't Sakuno's relative. But his doubts were erased when Tomo spoke up.

"Doctor, it's okay to tell him. He has permission from Ryuuzaki- sensei. By the way, I'm Tomoka Osakada. I'm the patient's best friend," she said.

"Okay then. Mr.?" the doctor said.

"Echizen. Ryoma Echizen," Ryoma replied.

"Mr. Echizen, if you'll please follow me," the doctor said and he led Ryoma away from his sempais and into his office.

"Mr. Echizen, were you the one who brought Ms. Ryuuzaki here?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Ryoma replied.

"So you saw everything that happened?" he asked again.

"Yes, I did," Ryoma quietly said. Pain exploded in his heart as memories of the events before flashed back into his mind. He should've been the one shot, not Sakuno. He should be the one in the hospital right now, not her.

"Well, as you already now, Ms. Ryuuzaki was shot by a bullet. It hit her just below her left chest. To tell you the truth, she's a very lucky girl," he said.

Ryoma's head shot up, "Why is that?" he asked.

"If she was shot a little higher up, the bullet would've hit her heart and she would've died on the spot. And if you arrived here a little later, she would've lost more blood than what we could have given because her body wouldn't be able to take it. But the bullet wasn't our main problem. It was her head," the doctor said.

Ryoma was surprised. He didn't expect the doctor to be saying anything about her head. What could've happened?

"Wait. What did you say? Her head? But her head wasn't hit or hurt, as far as I know," Ryoma said.

"Maybe you didn't notice. Were there hard objects behind her when she was shot?" he asked.

"Well... I didn't notice. She pushed me that time to take the shot so I didn't see anything," Ryoma replied.

"Well, Ms. Ryuuzaki suffered internal bleeding in her head. From what I can see, the impact of the shot must have been so great that she was pushed backwards and she hit her head on a hard object. I think she bumped onto the front lights of a car because while operating, there were glass fragments on her hair," he explained.

Ryoma was shocked. He didn't know that she was hurt more than what he knew. He started blaming himself more for all that's happened.

"How is she now?" he asked.

"Well, she's showing positive signs to the operation. The bullet was already removed and thankfully, no organ was damaged. But like what I told you before, she suffered internal bleeding in her head. She's now in coma. We don't know yet if she'll wake up but there's a great possibility that she will," the doctor said.

The doctor stood up to leave but then he spoke to him for the last time.

"Mr. Echizen, don't lose hope. She will wake up. Just stay by her side. Talk to her and though she seems not to here, there are times when she will hear you. That will give her the strength to recover," he said then he left.

Ryoma stayed in the doctor's office, trying to absorb all that the doctor has said.

"_Ms. Ryuuzaki suffered internal bleeding in her head… bumped onto the front lights of a car… She's now in coma…_ _don't know yet if she'll wake up…"_

It was hard for him to accept but what was harder for him was to tell the others. It was one of the hardest things he had to do. It was even harder than his tennis matches with the strong opponents. He can already imagine his sempais reactions when they hear about Sakuno's condition. He pondered on how to tell their friends about it. When he felt he was ready, he stood up and went to the ER where Sakuno and their friends were.

When he reached them and told them of Sakuno's condition, everything was just as he had imagined. Inui's glasses dropped a little along with his pen and notebook. Taka was depressed and started to cry. Momo was trying hard not to cry while murmuring to himself. Maybe he was thinking of how to say to his wife, Ann, about what happened to her friend. Surprisingly, Tezuka had a few tears falling from his eyes but his expression still remained the same. Oishi was trying to control a wailing Eiji while a few tears fell on his face. Among all of them, the most devastated was Tomoka. She started to cry harder and harder, clutching her fiancé's shirt. And Kaidoh, on the other hand, couldn't utter a single word to cheer his fiancée up. He was just as devastated as her. He has already grown close to Sakuno when he and Tomoka first got together. He found her to be a charming and determined girl, asides from being the shy Coach's granddaughter.

After awhile, everyone started to calm down, much to Ryoma's relief because if they didn't calm down, they would've been kicked out of the hospital for disturbing other patients and he wouldn't be able to visit Sakuno again.

Speaking of Sakuno, he went to the door of the ER and peeked in through the glass window. He gasped! Where was Sakuno? She wasn't there! He started panicking.

"Momo, where's Sakuno?!" he asked.

"Huh? She isn't there?" he asked with a questioning look.

"Nyah! She really isn't there! Where could she be, nyah?" Eiji exclaimed after also taking a peek at the ER.

All of them were starting to panic when someone spoke.

"Don't worry about Ms. Ryuuzaki," a voice from behind them said. They turned around to see a charming young woman with sparkling green eyes and long brown hair up to her mid back. She had a white uniform on so they recognized her as one of the nurses in the hospital.

"Where is she?" Ryoma asked her, calming down.

"She's at room 208. You were all sleeping at that time so you didn't notice her being brought to her room. The doctor said that we shouldn't wake you up because just by looking at your appearance, you all seemed to be tired," she said to them.

"Can you take us to her room?" Oishi asked.

"Yeah, sure. Follow me please," she replied.

They followed her, going to the second floor and into one of the hallways. They reached the second to the last room and they entered. They were all saddened by what they saw. Nobody dared enter for the grief that they've been holding inside might leak out and they might break down there. But Ryoma, not being able to stand the tension and the pain, walked up to the bed to where she was. Then the rest followed, a little behind him. They looked at him, how his features show for the first time, his grief, his sadness of losing the love of his life. So they decided to leave him alone with her.

"Let's go," Oishi said, the only one having the courage to break the silence in the room. When they were all out, Ryoma started caressing Sakuno's face, moving her hair away from her beautiful face. He looked at her and his eyes saddened.

"Sakuno… wake up. Please," he started saying. "Come back to me, love… don't give up on me… live… for you… for me… for us," he said, taking her hand in his. Though she looked dead, her hand was still emitting the same warmth it emitted when he held it before she… He shook his head and erased those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't take thinking that she will die. She wasn't. He knew it. He believed it.

'Kami-sama… if you can hear me, please bring her back to me. Don't let her die. I need her. I wouldn't be able to live without her,' he said, praying to God to keep her alive. He stayed there, whispering sweet words to her, hoping that she could hear them. He didn't realize that he already fell asleep by her bedside.

He was sleeping peacefully when suddenly, someone started shaking his shoulders.

'Unngh… Who's waking me up? This is so annoying,' he thought. When the shaking didn't stop, he decided open his eyes. When he opened them, he saw a window, with a table and a vase filled with flowers.

'What the?! Where am I? This isn't my room,' he thought. When he tried to sit up and stretch, he felt pain in his back. He couldn't remember what had happened. His mind was a bit jumbled and it took him time to piece up his thoughts.

'Ouch! My back hurts. Wait a minute! I remember now. Sakuno got shot and we're at the hospital. Did I fall asleep here?' he asked himself.

As if on cue, a lady suddenly spoke up.

"Excuse me sir. It's already morning. It seems that you've fallen asleep here. Maybe it's better if you go home first and take a rest. That way, you won't get sick."

Ryoma looked around to where the voice was coming from. He turned around and saw the nurse from last night.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko Oishi," she replied.

'Oishi?! She couldn't be related to Semapi-Oishi by any way, can she?' he thought.

"Hey, by any chance, do you any Syuichiroh Oishi?" he asked.

"Yeah. He's my cousin. He was here last night. Didn't he tell you?" she asked.

"No. he never mentioned it," he replied.

"Well, now that you know, I suggest you go home first and rest. I'll call Syuichiroh and tell him to pick you up," she said.

Things were buzzing in Ryoma's mind. He was also having doubts leaving.

"Hey, don't worry about anything. You had a lot happening to you yesterday. Syuichiroh told me all about it. Don't worry. I'll take care of Ms. Ryuuzaki over here," she told him.

"Thanks," he replied, looking at her. Then he glanced back at Sakuno.

He felt a lot better knowing that someone was taking good care of Sakuno. And since it was Oishi's relative, he had no worries. If Oishi was responsible, his cousin would be too, right? Or else she wouldn't have become a nurse.

"Ryoma, I'll leave you too for a while, okay? I'll just call Syuichiroh. In the meantime, you should talk to her for a while. Who knows? Maybe she's listening," she said, turning to leave.

Ryoma glanced at Sakuno's beautiful face.

'Hn. She still looks beautiful when even when she's asleep. But I like it better if she's awake. Then I can see her pretty smile lighting up her face,' he thougt.

He held her hand with his left hand then caressed her face with his right hand and began talking to her.

"Sakuno, I have to go now. Nurse's orders. But… I promise I'll come back. If you're listening now, I just want to say… I love you. I always will. So please, come back to me. When you wake up and recover, we'll get married and we'll be together forever. I promise I won't hurt you again. I promise," he whispered to her.

As he was looking at her, the door opened and Nadeshiko came in.

"Ryoma, Syuichiroh will be here in ten minutes. You better get ready," she said. "Oh yeah, I have to go now. I still have work to do," she added then she left.

Ryoma stayed and continued to talk to Sakuno. When Oishi came, he bid farewell to her.

"Goodbye Sakuno. I'll come back. I promise. Stay strong for me," he whispered in her ear then kissed her on the forehead. Then they left.

When Oishi dropped him off at his house, he gave Ryoma Nadeshiko's number in case he wanted to check up on Sakuno. The bid each other goodbye then Oishi left. Ryoma ate breakfast then went up to his room to rest. When he woke up, he talked to Ayako on the phone and explained to her. Afterwards, he lay down on his bed and pondered on his thoughts, some of it about his conversation with Ayako.

"_Don't worry, I understand… I've known from the beginning… you loved her… don't blame yourself… I forgive you… you deserve each other… I hope she wakes up… can we still be friends?... Okay, friends it is… thanks for everything… glad to have known you… sayonara Ryoma…"_

He felt relieved because Ayako and he were still friends. This day changed everything for him. He realized how important every second is because if you don't treasure it, you might lose everything. Just like what happened. Though he was relieved, he was also worried because of Sakuno's condition. What will happen to her?

Everyday became like this. He would visit her everyday in the hospital and stay with her day and night. He'll talk to her, saying sweet things to her while relaying everything that's been happening.

The sempai-tachi would also visit her whenever they can, bringing a bouquet of flowers everytime. Tomoka would visit everyday but during the afternoon only. She postponed her wedding with Kaidoh and he, surprisingly, agreed to it since it wouldn't be good to get married while one of their friends was at the hospital. Coach Ryuuzaki would visit her granddaughter as much as she can, but always with one of the sempai-tachi. And Ryoma was always there to witness everything.

It went on like this for almost 3 months. However, Ryoma still never loses hope. But there's still a question on his head that's been popping up once in a while...

'_Will she ever wake up?'_

**end of chapter**

**A/N: ** haaixxx…. At last! I've finished the 3rd chapter. Thanks for all those who've waited so long for this chapter… pls review! Hope you like it… :D


	4. the past meets the present

Last chapter:

_Last chapter:_

_Everyday became like this. He would visit her everyday in the hospital and stay with her day and night. He'll talk to her, saying sweet things to her while relaying everything that's been happening._

_The sempai-tachi would also visit her whenever they can, bringing a bouquet of flowers everytime. Tomoka would visit everyday but during the afternoon only. She postponed her wedding with Kaidoh and he, surprisingly, agreed to it since it wouldn't be good to get married while one of their friends was at the hospital. Coach Ryuuzaki would visit her granddaughter as much as she can, but always with one of the sempai-tachi. And Ryoma was always there to witness everything._

_It went on like this for almost 3 months. However, Ryoma still never loses hope. But there's still a question on his head that's been popping up once in a while..._

'_Will she ever wake up?'_

_end of chapter_

Chapter 4: the past meets present

The dawn was coming, the sign of a new day. Birds were chirping sweetly with a melody as sweet as honey. Flowers were blooming, adorning the earth like jewels in a crown, showing off their beautiful sparkle to the world. Dew adorned their every leaf, a reminder of the light shower of rain of the past evening. It was the start of spring.

'It's such a beautiful day. I wish you could see this with me. To have you're beautiful hazel eyes smiling at me along with your lips, those lips that will turn right side-up at the sight of all these. Not a day goes by without me thinking of you…'

Ryoma was gazing at the window as the bus went downtown. He was headed to the hospital to visit Sakuno. He was there everyday. Because of this, he's met some interesting people like the nurses, and some of the patients who seemed to love going past Sakuno's room. They said that when they pass her room, they feel a warm aura and they start to feel relaxed or relieved especially when they have troubles. They felt like someone was smiling at them and cheering them up. He smiled at the thought of it. His Sakuno really never lets anyone be sad. She emitted the aura that makes any person happy again.

The bus stopped. He went off and walked towards the hospital door. He was greeted by the guy at the reception table, which he responded with a nod, then he went to the elevator, pressed the 2 button and he was up to the 2nd floor going to Sakuno's room.

He walked into her room and found her still, lying on the bed, still sleeping. His princess. His love. His source of strength and happiness. He walked up to her bed and kissed her on the forehead.

"Hey, I'm back," he said to her. He caressed her cheek and moved the wisp of hair away from her face. She looked so angelic, even though 3 months have passed. To him, she just seemed to grow more beautiful with each passing day. But he wanted her to wake up. He missed those sparkling hazel eyes and that dazzling smile of hers that always makes his day. But what he misses the most is her soft voice and her cute blush when she says, "Ryoma-kun". He wished he could hear her voice again.

So many thoughts were in his mind that he didn't notice the door open and a little boy came in the room. He silently walked up to the bed and he tried to pull himself unto the bed.

Ryoma was deep in thought when suddenly, he felt someone beside him, tugging on the bed sheet, trying to get on the bed. He glanced to his right to see a little boy there.

'Hey, this kid seems familiar. Where have I seen him before?' Ryoma thought. He searched his brain and it finally hit him.

'Ah! He's that kid, Koji. The one who called Sakuno 'mommy',' he exclaimed in his head.

Before he could call out to the kid, a nurse suddenly opened the door and called out to the boy.

"Koji! What are you doing here? You should be resting in your room," the nurse said.

"No! I'm bored there! I want to see Mommy Sakuno!" Koji said.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Mr.Echizen. Koji here really is just a bit annoying sometimes but he'sl a good kid," the nurse said, looking at Ryoma.

Ryoma smirked. He looked at Koji then at the nurse.

"It's okay. He can stay here. I'll bring him to his room later," he said.

"Ah, arigatou. And gomenasai again if he disturbed you," she replied then she went out and closed the door.

He looked at Koji. And Koji looked at him.

"Who are you mister? Do you know my Mommy Sakuno?" Koji asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. I'm Ryoma Echizen. I'm a friend of hers," he replied.

"Ah… wait. Ara! I know you! You're that guy Mommy Sakuno used to talk about!" Koji exclaimed.

"Oh really…" Ryoma said. 'Well, I didn't know Sakuno talked about me all the time,' he thought, smirking in his mind.

"Well, what does she say about me?" he asked, smirking.

"Mommy says you're the best tennis player she's ever seen. She said you were her inspiration in playing tennis even though she wasn't good at it. I watched you're games in TV and you were so amazing! But then…" he paused for awhile, 'When I look at Mommy, she seems sad all of a sudden. I don't know why. Do you know, Mr. Echizen?" he asked.

Ryoma was silent for a while but then he spoke up.

"Yeah. I hurt your Mommy before that's why she was sad when she was watching my games. But I've apologized to her already," he said.

"Oh. Mommy must be happy now," Koji said, smiling, looking at Sakuno's sleeping form.

Ryoma looked at him then at Sakuno then he remembered something about Koji.

"Hey, is Sakuno your mother?" he asked. He felt dumb asking because why would anyone call someone 'mommy' if she's not their mother?

Koji face turned from smiling to sad. Memories flooded his mind, his past haunting him. He felt suddenly scared and lonely. Ryoma looked at him, waiting for the answer. Koji seemed spaced out.

"Hey kid. Daijoubu?" he asked, shaking Koji by the shoulders.

Koji snapped out of his reverie then looked at Ryoma. Then he turned his eyes to Sakuno's face and he spoke.

"Mommy Sakuno's… not my real mother," he sighed then continued.

"My real mom was killed along with my dad. We were trying to escape the assassins then but a car crashed into ours. We… we ran into the woods to hide but they tracked us down and killed my dad. Mom carried me and hid me in one of the hollow of the trees. Then,when she turned around, this guy…held her and started shouting questions at her. Mom… spit at him and didn't answer to any of the questions. Then, they… they… sh… shot… her," he said.

Ryoma looked at the boy and was surprised that beneath his happy expression before lays a dark past that haunted him every time. He can already imagine how hard it was for him to keep it all inside.

"So, how are you related to Sakuno?" he asked, curious.

"Mommy Sakuno is my mom's younger sister," Koji replied.

"So, Sakuno's your auntie?" he asked. Koji just nodded.

"I'm going to tell you a secret okay. You promise to keep it?" Ryoma asked.

Koji looked at him intently then nodded.

"I love your Mommy Sakuno. And I want to ask her to marry me when she wakes up. Is that okay with you?" he asked.

Koji brightened up and smiled again.

"Really?! Then Mommy Sakuno wouldn't be sad anymore. I always see her alone and sad. Now she gonna have you. And me, of course!" he said.

Ryoma smiled a little at Koji. He didn't know why but he felt comfortable talking to the kid. He was just like Sakuno, only he's hyperactive, unlike Sakuno who was so shy. Koji, on the other hand, was jumping up and down in joy. (**A/N:** He went down the bed already.) Then, a thought crossed his mind.

"Uhmm… Mr.Echizen…," he said, looking at the ground but facing Ryoma. "If you're going to marry Mommy Sakuno, then can I… can I call you… uhmm… Daddy?" he asked, a bit red on the face.

Ryoma was taken by surprise. He was shocked, to say the least. Someone, calling him daddy? Well, he couldn't imagine. But hey, he was already comfortable with the kid and he'll know more about Sakuno. So, what the heck?

"Fine," he replied.

"Yehey! I have a daddy! I have a daddy! I can't wait to tell mommy! Yehey!" Koji shouted, jumping with joy.

"Okay, okay. Could you stop shouting and jumping now?" Ryoma said, annoyed. This will definitely ruin his reputation.

"Okay, Daddy Ryoma," Koji said, smiling at him.

'Daddy, ei? I like it. It does sound good' Ryoma thought.

"Okay. As first order of business, tell me everything about you 'coz I think you already know all about me from Sakuno," he told Koji.

"Okay. And Mommy Sakuno did tell me everything about you. I asked her once and it took us a whole 2 days to talk about everything," he replied.

"Really eh? So she knows me that much?" Ryoma asked.

"More than you think," Koji replied, grinning.

So they talked on about their selves and about Sakuno. They shared what they knew about her and Ryoma was surprised at how much he didn't know about Sakuno but how much she knew about him. But what caught his attention was one story about Sakuno's childhood.

"Daddy Ryoma, you know, Mommy Sakuno and I are so alike. She likes to smile a lot just like me but she also sad on the inside," Koji said.

"Why is that?" Ryoma asked.

"It's because Mommy was also orphaned at a young age, just like me. Her mother and father were in a car accident and she saw it all happen. Obaa-chan said that it took Mommy almost two years before she was able to move on from her parents' death. It also took me the same time to recover from my parents' deaths, probably longer because they were killed," he said.

'I never thought that Sakuno was an orphan. So that's why she's living with Ryuuzaki-sensei,' he thought.

"Does she remember anything about her parents before they died?'" he asked.

"Yeah. She used to sing to me the lullaby her mom used to sing to her. And she told me stories about them. Her mom was a pianist and her dad was also a tennis player, just like you daddy," Koji replied.

"Well, do you know how to play tennis?" he asked Koji.

"Yup! A little. Auntie Tomo and Uncle Kaidoh have been teaching me to how to play," he replied.

"You know Kaidoh? Well then, I'll teach too so that you'll be a great tennis player just like me," Ryoma said, grinning.

"Really? Sure!" Koji replied.

So afterwards, they became closer to each other. When Koji was let out of the hospital, Ryoma would always fetch him from Coach Ryuuzaki's place and bring Koji with him to the hospital to visit Sakuno. And as promised, Ryoma has also started teaching Koji tennis. They were together everyday that they were almost inseparable, just like a real father and son. Everyone also noticed their closeness and they also know of Koji's calling Ryoma 'daddy' which at first, earned a good laugh from them but afterwards, they started to see the change that took place in Ryoma. He's not the old cocky boy he used to be. He was more sensitive and warmer to other people. They're proud to see how much he has improved ever since the accident.

On another place, someone also seems to be improving. Or not? Monitors were beeping. Then suddenly, they went a bit off normal. A twitch. Another one. And another twitch. Movement. Voices. She could hear voices. She tries to reach out. Nothing. She can't move. Someone's calling her name. Who can it be?

"Sakuno… wake up, love. Come back to me, to us."

Another voice.

"Mommy, wake up. Daddy's here."

What?

"Sakuno-chan…"

"Ryuuzaki-san…"

Where are all these voices coming from?

"Saku-chan, nyah…"

Who are you?

"I love you. Come back to me. I need you. _Sakuno… _it's me, Ryoma."

Ryoma-kun…?

"Mada mada dane. You can't die yet."

Die?

_Beep… beep… beep… beep…………._

**End of chapter**

**A/N: **so, how was it? Is it okay? Pls. review! :D

I would like to thank the ff for the review of the last chap:

**Bandgeek (however you are)**

**Rubyxdragon**

**Yi-chan**

**Speadee**

_Arigatou gosaimasu! :D_


	5. life and death

Last chapter:

_Last chapter:_

"_Sakuno… wake up, love. Come back to me, to us."_

_Another voice._

"_Mommy, wake up. Daddy's here."_

_What?_

"_Sakuno-chan…"_

"_Ryuuzaki-san…"_

_Where are all these voices coming from?_

"_Saku-chan, nyah…"_

_Who are you?_

"_I love you. Come back to me. I need you. Sakuno… it's me, Ryoma."_

_Ryoma-kun…?_

"_Mada mada dane. You can't die yet."_

_Die?_

_Beep… beep… beep… beep…………._

_**End of chapter**_

Chapter 5: Life and Death

"Doctor! She's…. she's…"

"Bring her to the emergency room, STAT!"

Doctors were rushing everywhere, nurses along with them. It seems that a patient from the ICU is suffering a few changes after remaining in coma for 4 months. It seems like a sudden change in her brain or her mind triggered her body, which is not yet capable of recovering from the accident, to react thus the sudden changes. If this continues on, she may eventually… die.

"Call the patient's relatives," the doctor ordered.

Coach Ryuuzaki was on the tennis courts, watching intently the tennis club practice for the upcoming tournament along with her assistant, Inui Sadaharu, a former Seigaku student and regular at the tennis club. The club members were just finishing their last lap when suddenly, her phone rang. She got it from her pocket and answered it.

"Hello, this is Coach Ryuuzaki speaking. Oh, hello doctor. Glad you could call. So, any updates on her condition?" she asked.

"Coach Ryuuzaki, your granddaughter. She's…" the doctor on the other line said.

When the person on the phone finished speaking, Coach Ryuuzaki gasped, her face full of shock. Everyone in the tennis club looked at her and wondered what had happened.

"What's the matter with Coach Ryuuzaki?" a freshman asked.

"Yeah. It's like she's seen a ghost or something," another freshman said.

Everyone was murmuring conclusions when she suddenly dropped her hand holding the phone and looked at Inui.

"Inui, you go ahead and dismiss the club. I need to go. Something came up in the hospital," she said. Then, she ran off, going to her office to get some things and she left the school.

"Okay. You all heard her. Everyone's dismissed but remember to practice. The upcoming tournament is just 2 weeks away," Inui said.

"Hai!" everyone replied.

'What could have happened?' Inui thought. 'There's a 75 percent chance that Sakuno's…'

Realizing the current situation, he quickly called all their friends and told them about Sakuno's condition. They decided to meet up at the hospital.

(**A/N:** Everything happened early in the morning so Ryoma and Koji weren't at the hospital yet. And the tennis club had early morning practice that's why coach Ryuuzaki was there.)

Ryoma and Koji had just arrived at the hospital when they noticed a few nurses running around.

'Some patient must be at the emergency room,' Ryoma thought.

They were about to head to the elevator when Nadeshiko spotted them.

"Ryoma! Koji!" she called.

The 2 boys turned around to see Nadeshiko, panting in front of them.

"What is it?" Ryoma asked. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Sakuno… Sakuno, she's…" she was saying but was having a hard time because she was panting.

"What happened to her?" Ryoma asked, getting worried.

"Wha… What's happening?" Koji cried out.

Ryoma looked at him and kneeled down to talk to the anxious Koji.

"Nothing's wrong. Don't worry. Wait right here, okay? I'll just talk to Nurse Nadeshiko," Ryoma said.

He stood up and faced Nadeshiko.

"Now tell me what happened," he said.

"Sakuno's currently in the emergency room. It seems she was trying to wake up but her body won't cooperate. The sudden exertion of energy forced her heart to pump more blood. She's having coronary thrombosis and her blood pressure's rising fast. If this keeps up, the excess blood might go to her brain. It will be trapped in the brain because of the blood clotting. She may…" she stopped, not being able to say the word 'die.' It was too cruel a fate for her.

Ryoma was speechless. It took him a long time to register what Nadeshiko has just said. The words were ringing in his head.

"_Sakuno's currently in the emergency room… she was trying to wake up… body won't cooperate… She's having coronary thrombosis… blood pressure's rising fast… If this keeps up… she may…"_

He supplied the last word missing.

_Die._

Sakuno was on the brink of dying. She was now between life and death. And there was nothing he, no, **they** could do. It was Sakuno's battle and hers alone. All they could do now is support her… and wait.

He looked at Koji, held his hand then the 3 of them ran to the emergency room. When they arrived, they peeked in through the window and there they saw Sakuno being examined by the doctors. Although there weren't blood like last time, they seem to still be having a hard time. Nadeshiko left them and went inside to help. They saw her talking to the doctor in charge then he looked at them from inside and nodded at them, looking as if saying, "Don't worry. She's in good hands."

Seeing this, Ryoma sat down along with Koji, looking at him, waiting for an explanation.

"What's happening daddy? What are they doing to Mommy Sakuno?" he asked worriedly, tears threatening to spill.

"Koji, your mommy tried to wake up today. She tried but her body won't cooperate so the doctors are looking for the problem. When they find it, they'll fix it then they'll help her wake up," Ryoma explained.

"So... mommy's going to wake up? She's going to come back?" he asked. Hope flashed in his eyes.

"Yeah she will. She's going to come back to us. All we can do is support her and pray that she'll be able to overcome this, okay?" Ryoma told him.

At that exact moment, Coach Ryuuzaki arrived along with the whole former Seigaku tennis team. Everyone was there, from the stoic buchou, Tezuka to the hyperactive Kikumaru, the powerful Momo and the Ichinen trio. Tomoka was there too along with her fiancé, Kaidoh. They went there as fast as they could after Inui informed them of the situation.

"How is she Echizen?" Oishi asked.

Ryoma then told them everything Nadeshiko said. They gasped and were speechless. The first to speak among them was Fuji.

"Everyone… don't lose faith. She'll wake up," he said.

"Nyah, Saku-chan! We're all behind you! Wake up!" Eiji bursted out.

"Eiji, calm down," Oishi told him.

"Hey, we're not in a match, Eiji. Why are you cheering?" Taka asked.

"Nyah, Sakuno's always been cheering for us ever since junior high. And since she's now the one having a match, we should cheer for her, nyah," he replied.

"Yeah, that's right. She's having a match. And now, there's a 75 percent chance that she'll win and live," Inui said.

"So, now worries?" Fuji said, smiling.

"Yeah, no worries," Ryoma repeated, relief painted in his eyes.

And so they waited. And waited. It must've been an hour since they arrived at the hospital. They asked for updates but the doctors couldn't determine anything yet. Her condition was still unstable. Everyone was nearly asleep when a sudden outburst woke them up.

"Nurse, what's the status?"

"Blood pressure's rising. She's having a seizure. Doctor, her heart's failing!" the nurse shouted out.

"Shit! Get me the fibrillator!1 STAT!" the doctor ordered.

"What's happening?" Koji cried while peering inside the emergency room. He was nearly into tears.

Nadeshiko saw them peering from the outside so she said something to the doctor, he nodded and she walked to the door to meet them.

"Guys…"

"What's happening to her?!" Ryoma demanded.

"Calm down. We have the situation under control," she replied.

"Don't tell me to calm down, dammit! I know something's happening and I demand to hear it!" he yelled.

"Echizen, calm down," Momo said, trying to restrain him.

"Ryoma, she's going to be fine," Oishi reassured him.

He didn't seem to listen to them. All he could hear were the doctors' voices. Dread and panic seemed to fill their words. He just knew something was going wrong.

"Echizen!"

Everyone stopped dead. They looked back to see Tezuka staring intently at Ryoma.

"She's not dead yet. She's still fighting. Do you think she'd give up that easily?" he said.

Tezuka's commanding voice broke into his thoughts. Yes Sakuno was in a tight position and yes Sakuno was on the brink of death. But she was fighting. She still is. And knowing her, she wouldn't give up that easily. His Sakuno was a strong person. She was going to live.

"Okay, here's the deal," Nadeshiko said, breaking the eerie silence. "Sakuno's not dead yet but she's now having a seizure 2. And… heart failure 3. They're now fibrillating her. Her chances of survival are decreasing but she's still fighting. All we could do is pray she'll make it," she finished.

Ryoma fell down on the chair. He's still having a hard time processing everything Nadeshiko has just said. Everyone's face turned gloomy at the news. A few tears fell from Tomo's face. They all stared blankly into space. It seems all has lost most of the hope that they had of Sakuno's recovery. Well, except one.

"I hate all of you!"

They snapped out of their reverie and gasped at the small voice that was Koji's. They looked at the little boy and saw that he was crying.

"I hate all of you!" he repeated. "Mama Sakuno's not gonna die! She's not gonna leave! She promised me!" he cried.

They realized their mistake. It was wrong for them to lose hope.

"Gomenasai, Koji-chan," Eiji spoke up.

"Gomenasai," everyone followed.

"Koji," Ryoma said, looking at the boy softly. Koji looked at him with eyes glistening from the sudden outburst of tears.

"Gomenasai. She'll come back. We'll pray for her, okay?" he smiled.

"Hai!" he replied, his face brightening.

'You're so like Sakuno,' Ryoma thought. He looked at the emergency room door and peered inside.

Doctors were checking up on her from time to time. The nurses had their hands together, praying for Sakuno's safety. They weren't losing hope yet.

"Doctor!"

They looked at the monitor with shocked faces.

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppppppppppp…………………………………_

"Nurse, give me 100!"

"100."

"Clear!"

Nothing.

"150!"

"150."

"Clear!"

Nothing.

"Another one!"

"Okay!"

"Clear!"

Still nothing.

Ryoma looked at the monitors then at Sakuno. _Was this the end?_

'Don't give up on me love. We're still going to get married and we'll officially adopt Koji. You have to live. You can't leave us. Please, fight. I'm here. I won't leave your side. I'll fight this with you. Please wake up. I love you.'

"Doctor, we tried. There's nothing we can do now… She's gone," the nurse said. Nadeshiko bowed her head.

"No! She's not yet gone! We'll try it again! Give me 200!" he said.

"But doctor…?!"

"I said give me 200!" the doctor yelled. The nurse hesitated.

"I'll do it," Nadeshiko said. She positioned herself.

"Okay, 200." _'Please wake up Sakuno.'_

'_Mommy… Ryuuzaki… Sakuno…'_

"Clear!"

'_Love, wake up.'_

…………………_._

Nothing. That was it. She was gone. On May 27, 2008, Ryuuzaki Sakuno has left the world. She was… Wait!

………………… _beep……………beep…………. beep………… beep…… beep…… beep…… beep…_

She was alive!

Her finger twitched. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced sideways.

"Ryo…. Ryo…. Ryom… Ryoma… kun…." she said.

The doctor looked up quickly and saw Sakuno alive and awake! They rejoiced. They've saved her!

"Tell the relatives quickly!" he said.

Nadeshiko bolted to the door and when she opened it, all eyes were on her.

"She's awake!" she joyfully announced.

They applauded and cheered. There worries were gone and was replaced with joy. A member of their group was coming back. This means… party! Momo called his wife to tell her about the good news, Kaidoh was calming Tomo down, and Eiji was talking Taka into throwing a party at his sushi restaurant. Everyone was jubilant.

Ryoma looked at Koji then at Nadeshiko. "Can we see her?" he said.

"Well, I think so. She's just woken so be gentle okay?" she answered.

They were about to go inside when he looked back.

"Thanks for everything," he said then they entered the ER.

She smiled. "You're welcome, Echizen."

"Good work Naiko-chan."

She looked in front and saw Fuji smiling at her.

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you Syu-kun," she said.

"You must be tired. I'll take you home," he offered.

"Thanks a lot Syu-kun. You're really my hero," she chuckled. She hugged him then kissed him on the cheek.

While everyone was talking about the party, courtesy of Taka, (**A/N:** you must be thinking how they managed to talk Taka into the party right? Well, Eiji just whipped out a racket out of nowhere and gave it to him. Simple. :D) Ryoma and Koji walked towards Sakuno.

"Hi," Ryoma said.

"Hi," she replied. She smiled.

Ryoma couldn't think of anything to say. He was rendered speechless when he saw Sakuno's beautiful hazel eyes staring at him again. So he said the first thing that came into his mind.

"Mada mada dane 4," he said then he looked away and blushed.

Sakuno slightly chuckled. (**A/N: **she can't laugh yet.) She looked down a little and saw Ryoma holding a small hand. She wondered who's it was until a small head popped up.

"Mommy!" Koji cheerfully exclaimed.

"Koji! How are you baby?" she asked, delight on her face. Ryoma looked at them.

"I'm fine Mommy. Daddy's been taking good care of me. He's even giving me tennis lessons!" he said.

"Daddy?" she wondered.

"Yes, Daddy Ryoma!" he replied.

Sakuno looked back at Ryoma and he blushed madly.

"So you really kept you're promise Ryoma-kun," she said.

"Yeah,of course. And it's just right for him to call me daddy since we are getting married when you get out of this hospital," he said.

"Who said we're getting married?" she said grinning.

"I did. Do you have any objections?" he said, lowering his face to meet hers.

"No. No I don't," she said. She smiled and leaned in. Ryoma moved closer to her and they kissed lightly, maybe for about 8 seconds. When they parted, they both looked at Koji's smiling face.

"Mommy… when's the wedding?" he asked.

"As soon as your mommy gets out of here. She and Auntie Tomo can have a double wedding," he said, going to Koji and lifting him. "And then after that, we're going to officially adopt you."

"Hontou?" Koji asked, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Of course. You are already calling me daddy."

"Yehey! Yehey! Mommy and Daddy's gonna get married! Yehey!" he cheered.

Sakuno and Ryoma looked at each other. There's gonna be one new happy family in town. They smiled.

**The end**

**A/N:** hello! I'm back! It's nearly start of classes so I'm trying to finish this up. What do you think? Is it okay? Please review! Arigatou gosaimasu! :D

Here's to clear things up:

**1 fibrillator**- it's the thing used when the person's heart has stopped beating. It's the one that doctors use to shock the patients awake. My cousin said that that's what it's called.

**2 seizure-** a sudden attack of illness, like a stroke (got it from the dictionary)

**3 heart failure- **a stop in the heart's activities that may lead to death

**4 **when Ryoma said 'Mada mada dane,' this is actually what it meant…

"You can't die yet. You still have a lot to do in your life. You still have to get married to me, etc…" Well, you get the idea… hehe ;D

oh... wait! i want to thank the following:

merylin (tnx a lot couz!)  
mikihinna  
blackrain105  
miyuki meiru (i'm waiting 4 updates on your story :D)  
rubyxdragon


	6. Epilogue

Last chapter:

**A/N: **Hello! I'm back! Sorry if this update took so long. I'm having a little trouble with my shced since we also have a new schedule in school. Well, this is it. The last chapter. Here it is! Enjoy!

_Last chapter:_

"_As soon as your mommy gets out of here. She and Auntie Tomo can have a double wedding," he said, going to Koji and lifting him. "And then after that, we're going to officially adopt you."_

"_Hontou?" Koji asked, with a twinkle in his eyes._

"_Of course. You are already calling me daddy."_

"_Yehey! Yehey! Mommy and Daddy's gonna get married! Yehey!" he cheered._

_Sakuno and Ryoma looked at each other. There's gonna be one new happy family in town. They smiled._

_**End of chapter**_

Epilogue…

"_They say that the longer you lose someone, the more you miss them. And the harder you fell and got hurt, the greater the happiness you'll feel at the end."_

Wedding bells were ringing all across the hall. Flowers adorned every column, every chair, and every table in the vast chamber. Cherry blossoms. Roses. Daisies. Their scent filled the whole room with their fragrance. Their beauty charmed everyone in sight. Except for two men. They were exceedingly anxious for what is about to come. Their brides. And these two gentlemen are none other than Kaidoh Kaoru and Ryoma Echizen.

"Ei! Loosen up, will you."

Both men glared at their friend and Ryoma's best man, Momo. He backed off.

"Geez, get a hold on yourselves. It's nothing to be nervous about. You two should be happier," he said.

"Look who's talking! You nearly fainted before YOUR wedding if it weren't for Echizen over here, nudging you every now and then," Kaoru said with the usual hiss.

"Shut up, mamushi!" Momo defended.

"Mada mada dane, Momo," Ryoma butted in, smirking.

"Why you little brat," Momo replied, pissed off.

"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore," Ryoma complained.

"Well, you three aren't but you sure act like it," someone said loudly.

They all looked at their side to see their old coach, Ryuuzaki sensei, staring at them. They looked at each other then they stopped fighting.

"Sheesh, you really haven't changed, have you?" she said.

"It's Momo's fault," Ryoma said.

"Why you…" Momo was about to pound on Ryoma when Ann came.

"Hey, Echizen. Make sure you treat Sakuno-chan right, okay? Or else you'll be answering to me," she said then turned to face Kaidoh. "You too, Kaidoh. Take care of Tomo-chan.

"Of course, fuuusshhh."

"Hn."

Ann smiled. She looked at Momo. "You should behave yourself, Momo. Be kind to them. It's their day," she reprimanded him.

"But Ann…" he started.

"No buts," she glared. Kaidoh and Ryoma snickered. Ann noticed. "Don't worry, sweetie. You can pound them after their honeymoons." She smirked and went off. Momo grinned.

'That girl sure can talk. I am so lucky,' he thought.

They were silent for awhile when the pianist started playing. Kaidoh and Ryoma tensed. It only meant one thing: it was time.

One by one, the flower girls entered followed by the ring bearer, Koji, and then the guests. There were the former regulars: Oishi, Eiji, Taka, Inui, Tezuka and Fuji, who was with Nadeshiko. Then came the relatives. Kaidoh's younger brother was there along with Ryoma's older brother, Ryoga, how has been nagging and selling Sakuno to him all these years. Everyone walked down the aisle. At last, it was down to the last ones. The brides.

Slowly, as the doors opened again, a girl with amber-colored hair pulled up in a ponytail came in. Her ponytail was in curls and a few wisps of her hair framed her face. She had smoky eyes, light red lips and a little blush on. She was smiling so wide it would have blinded the crowd if her teeth were gleaming. She was wearing an off- shoulder wedding dress and it had a long train. (A/N: Well, what can I say? She loves extravagance. Hehe ) She was accompanied by her father. When she reached the altar, Kaidoh's breathing was rasping. It was so obvious; Ryoma couldn't suppress his laugh from coming.

"Echizen…" Kaidoh suddenly glared at him. He got the message.

'Stop laughing. Let's see how you react when she arrives.'

Then the doors creaked open again. And this time, another bride came in. Instead of Ryoma being nervous and happy, he was somehow annoyed.

'What the?! That baka oyaji's taking her to the altar? Why not the coach? Damn, that oyaji. He better get his hands off her or else,' he thought.

He gritted his teeth then slowly proceeded looking to the woman beside his perverted father. His breath caught. His mind was at a blank.

'No way… is that really… Sakuno? She's… amazing! Gorgeous! I can't believe I'm gonna marry someone as beautiful as her. I'm the luckiest guy in the world,' he thought.

Kaidoh and Tomo looked at each other then at Ryoma, who was standing agape with his mouth hanging open. Both smirked. They had the same thoughts in their heads.

'Hah! That's for you Echizen! Now you really see Sakuno! You'll regret the day that you said she was no one!'

Everyone followed to where the groom's eyes were. He was looking at a petite woman walking slowly down the aisle. (A/N: Sakuno was walking slowly in fear of tripping on her dress.) She had long auburn hair which was let loose for the first time, and this shocked everyone. They never thought that she was this beautiful! It was because her beautiful hair was always hidden in those long, unpractical braids which secretly, Ryoma liked.

Another thing that caught their attention was her face. She had round chocolate eyes which were emphasized by the pink eye shadow and black mascara she was wearing. Her cheeks had a little blush in but it seemed to be darker because she was shyly blushing, full of bliss. Her lips, which had a light pink gloss on them, were formed to a shape of a smile. Everything about her made her face glow and look more astounding. She looked like an angel, especially with her white tube wedding dress with a v- strap in front. The only thing missing was her angel wings.

She reached the altar and he held out his hand for her to take. She accepted it. Her hand on his was warm to the touch. He felt less anxious. Then she giggled.

She whispered in his ear, "Ryoma, don't be nervous. Nothing bad will happen. I won't leave again, I promise."

"Of course you won't. I won't allow you," he replied, smirking.

And so the ceremony went on. They exchanged their vows and their rings. And the most awaited part, at last. (A/N: Sorry. I don't like to write the whole ceremony anymore. You know it already. So please bear with me, 'kay? so lazy..)

"You may kiss the bride."

After 2 years…

"Okay! Let's party!"

Almost everyone was present. It was like a long awaited reunion. They've been going on with their lives and nobody expected to be meeting up this early. They've been so busy that they had to find a spot for this party in their very hectic schedule.

So, everyone had their own thing: Tezuka now was busy running his family's growing company. And at the same time, he was fighting off sudden blind dates planned by the stock holders of the company to have their daughters married to the great but stoic Tezuka Kunimitsu. Next, Oishi was now nearing to achieving his dream of becoming a doctor. With the help of his cousin, Nadeshiko, he is currently studying for the board exam he's to take next month. Fuji, the tensai of the team, is now a well- known photographer and also a former model for a famous magazine. He is also working along side Inui in making Inui's new book, "Data Gathering and Using It to Your Advantage: Sadist's Version." (A/N: Haha! It's Inui and Fuji we're talking about. Of course this is the book. This is definitely for all those sadists out there, just like the two of them.) Inui is currently the Japan's most renowned sports advisor when it comes to diet and exercise plans. Many have tried to figure out his secret but nobody ever did. (A/N: I think it's his very exotic… JUICES! Haha!)

Taka, after his last tennis game in their high school years, is now on the road to being the best sushi master in the world. He has been seen in shows like the Iron Chef and the like. (A/N: Well, I can't think of anything else.) Eiji, the cat-like acrobatics player, has won some medals in the Olympics in Gymnastics. He is also the current wild life ambassador because of his love for animals. He's been going to different countries worldwide to promote wild life preservation.

Their kouhais on the other hand surprisingly, married before them. Momo, with Ann, now has two kids: Shion and Mia, a three-year old boy and a one-year old girl respectively. (A/N: Shion was already a year old when Ryoma and Sakuno got married. That's why Ann couldn't come with them to the hospital when Sakuno had an accident.) Momo is currently a tennis coach at… Seigaku! while Ann is a fashion designer. Her office is at home so she gets to take care of her kids. Kaidoh, with Tomo, hadn't planned yet on having a kid. They were trying to earn enough money first before they start making a family. Kaidoh was working as a fitness instructor while Tomo was a violin teacher, which was a surprise to everyone. Well, except for Kaidoh and Sakuno.

Speaking of Sakuno, she and Ryoma were nowhere to be seen. Well, it's to be expected since Ryoma was a very famous tennis star. He won Wimbledon two times since he married Sakuno and three times before that. After five consecutive victories, he planned to retire from the tennis world in order to be with his family but his plan nearly failed. And Sakuno was the cause of it.

"Ryoma, you are not going to give up your dream just for us," she said one day.

"But Sakuno, you're pregnant and I can't just leave you alone," Ryoma replied.

"I won't be alone Ryoma. Koji will be with me," she said.

"But… he's still a kid. He won't be able to bring you to the hospital if you suddenly have labor!" he explained.

"You don't know what he's capable of. Don't underestimate him!" she said, irritated. She turned away from him. His face sobered then he sighed. He went to her and hugged her from behind.

"Gomenasai Sakuno. I'm just worried about you. I don't want anything happening to you ever again, especially now that our baby's coming," he said then he placed his right hand on her stomach. She snuggled in his chest.

"I know. But please, I don't want to be the obstacle between you and your dream. It'll be on my conscience for the rest of my life," she said, saddening.

Ryoma was surprised. Then he smiled. He turned his wife around to face him. "You're not an obstacle. And you're not a nuisance," he said, knowing what his wife was thinking. "Actually, you're my inspiration. You're the reason why I keep on winning. And if I keep on worrying about you every time I have a match, then I'd rather forfeit. You're my dream now. You and our family."

Sakuno was near to tears. She was touched with everything Ryoma just said. She never thought that he meant so much to him. "Okay. Go ahead. Do whatever you want. But I won't allow you to stop playing tennis unless you really want to. I'll never talk to you again if I was the reason you stopped playing tennis," she said, smiling at him.

"Okay. If that's what you want. But I know you can't really do that," he told her, smirking.

"Oh really?" she grinned.

And after that, Sakuno really didn't talk to him. He was taken by surprise when the next day she didn't talk to him. After a week, he was questioning already her actions. When he was so confused, he remembered her words from a week ago.

It took him a whole day to get her to talk to him again. He learned a valuable lesson that day: never challenge Sakuno because whatever she says, she'll do. And he never wants that experience ever again. (A/N: Hehe… that's for you, Echizen.)

While Ryoma played in tennis tournaments, Sakuno was busy taking care of her baby and work. Teaching. She is a teacher in Seigaku, along with Momo. That's why Ryoma allowed her to teach there and only there. It's because he's asked Momo to watch over her, especially when she was pregnant.

Now, as the group talked amongst themselves, the door to the sushi shop opened. (A/N: They were having the party at Kawamura's. Remember the party I said they had when Sakuno woke up from coma?) Everyone looked at the door and smiled.

"Ohayou!"

Koji appeared from behind the couple at the door and went to his "uncles." Then, Ryoma and Sakuno entered the room, Ryoma carrying a two-year old boy. His name was Ryuuki Echizen. He let go of his father and he was put down on the ground. Then he ran to his older brother while their parents stared at him, smiling.

"Oi, Ryoma!" Momo called out to him.

The couple went to the table and joined their friends.

"You're a bit late compared to before," Fuji exclaimed.

"There's a 90 chance that they were followed by the paparazzi," Inui said from his notebook.

"Yeah. They're more annoying now that Sakuno's pregnant again," Ryoma said, annoyed. Sakuno touched his hand to calm him down.

"It's okay Ryoma. They'll know everything eventually," she said.

"How are you feeling Sakuno? You aren't feeling nauseous or something, are you?" Oishi asked.

"I'm fine. Just a bit sick this morning but it's normal," she replied.

"Yeah. She called me this morning just to have her forget about being sick," Tomo said.

"Hey mamushi, when are you and Tomo going to start a family?" Momo butted in, grinning with an evil glint in his eyes. The mentioned couple blushed. Kaidoh's temper was rising and Ann noticed it.

"Momo! You shouldn't ask them that. That's too personal," she said. She felt Kaidoh calmed down and she relaxed. Momo figured out why his wife acted like that.

"Okay, okay. Then, let's talk about something else," he said.

"Yeah. How about when our sempais will get married," Ryoma smirked along with Momo and they looked at their former sempais. Some blushed while others, like Tezuka, flinched. Inui seemed unfazed while Fuji's smile just grew.

"W..wa..wait a minute! Isn't that a personal question too?" Oishi complained.

"Nyah! Oishi's right!" Eiji's added.

"Actually," Fuji spoke up, "I agree with Momo and Ryoma," he said. Everyone stared at him, shocked. The grins were wiped off from Momo and Ryoma's faces.

"I have something to say. Nadeshiko…" he looked at the woman beside him and Oishi. Then he stood up and took her hand. "Nadeshiko Oishi, will you marry me?" he asked, kneeling down on one knee while holding out a box with a silver ring inside. It was embedded with a garnet stone in the middle and a small diamond on each side of it. Everyone gasped. This was a surprise indeed.

"Oh my gosh! Fuji-chan proposed, nyah!" Eiji exclaimed.

"Wait, they were together?" Ryoma asked, confused.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice Ryoma. They've been together even before the accident. How long have they been together, Inui?" Sakuno asked.

"According to my data, they've been dating for four years," Inui replied. Then, they looked at the couple again.

"Well, what do you say?" Fuji asked.

"Of course, Syu-kun!" she said. He placed the ring on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly. Then, he kissed her lips lightly and they looked at their audience. They all congratulated the newly engaged couple.

"Congratulations, Fuji nyah!" Eiji jumped up and down, ecstatic.

"Congratulations," Tezuka said. Fuji nodded at him. Well, that's all we can ever pull out of Tezuka.

"So Fuji, we're going to be cousins- in- law (A/N: is there such a thing?)," Oishi said.

"I think so," Fuji replied, smiling while holding his fiancée's hand. Then, Taka came in.

"Okay! This is to the newly engaged couple! My deluxe sushi buffet!" he said while laying down a large tray full of sushi and another exclusive tray of sushi for Fuji (A/N: wasabi sushi…) on the table. The kids then came running to their parents.

"Daddy, we heard some cheering. What happened?" a nine- year old Koji asked.

"You're Uncle Fuji just proposed to Nurse Nadeshiko," Ryoma told his adopted son.

"Wow! Really? When's the wedding?" he asked, excited.

Fuji approached them. "Maybe in three or four months," he told Koji. "Are you excited?" he asked.

"Hn! I remember Daddy and Mommy's wedding! I want to be in it too!" he said.

"Okay. But you have to give chance to others. Shion's going to be the ring bearer," Fuji said.

"Then what am I gonna do?" he asked.

"You can be with your daddy as one of the groomsmen," Fuji replied.

"Yehey!" Koji said, jumping around and around. Ryoma and Fuji were looking at him when Sakuno suddenly gasped.

Ryoma looked at his wife worriedly. "Daijobou Sakuno?" he asked.

"Ah, hai. Don't worry about me. The baby just moved," she smiled at him. She took his hand and placed it on her belly. Then he felt it. The baby suddenly kicked inside like it's acknowledging its father's hand on its mother's belly. Ryoma smiled.

Momo looked at Ryoma's smiling face. His friend's finally happy. Then he asked him something.

"Echizen, is the baby a boy or a girl?" Momo asked. Everyone's eyes turned to them. The children went to their parents. They wanted to know about the new addition to their "group" of the next generation. Ryoma stared at his wife. He just remembered that she hasn't told him the gender of their next baby.

Sakuno smiled at all of them. "It's a girl."

Everyone cheered. Ryoma stood surprised. A girl? What are the odds? At least, he'll have another angel at home.

"What would be her name?" Nadeshiko asked.

"Uhmm… I haven't thought of it yet. I wanted to wait until Ryoma knew," she replied.

"Well, now that he knows, maybe you can think of a name now," Ann suggested.

"Yeah. What name would you like?" Tomo asked.

Sakuno thought for a while then she answered. "I think I like her name to be… Saiyo. What do you think Ryoma?" she asked her husband.

"I think… it's a beautiful name. Saiyo. Echizen Saiyo," he said.

"I'm glad you liked it," Sakuno said. Then, Koji and Ryuuki went to them.

"Mama…" Ryuuki said. Sakuno smiled at her son and glanced at Ryoma. He then lifted Ryuuki up and sat him on his lap. Sakuno then called out to Koji and patted the seat beside her. When he was seated, she placed her left arm around him. He leaned back. Ryoma's arm was around Sakuno's shoulder.

"Koji, Ryuuki, meet your new baby sister, Saiyo," Sakuno said then she held her tummy with her right hand.

Ryoma glanced at Momo. They looked at each other then nodded. He then turned to look at his family. He did make the right decision. If it wasn't for his friends, he wouldn't have woken up to the truth he was blinded from. He would never have been happy. He would've regretted everything. He wouldn't see now the happy and smiling faces of his wife, Sakuno and their sons, Koji and Ryuuki. And in the near future, he would see his daughter's pretty face, just like her mother. He was now content.

He nearly missed the ride towards his happiness. Good thing he went to the other station and after certain doubts, has decided to take the chance. He bought the ticket and rode the ride to where he is now. If he hadn't gotten on that train, he would've missed the greatest part of his life: finding love. Finding Sakuno.

_**The end**_

**A/N: **At last, it's finished! How was it? Hope you liked it. Your reviews are very much appreciated. I couldn't have done this without you guys.

I would like to thank the following:

**Mrs. Hatake Kakashi- **I've finished it! Thanks for letting me use the first chapter of your story. (" ,)

**Merylin**

**Speadee**

**Yi-chan**

**Rubyxdragon**

**Bandgeek**

**Miyuki meiru**

**Blackrain105**

**Mikihinna**

**Fieryfier**

Thanks for everything especially for reading my story. May God bless you always! (",)

**P.S. There might be a one-shot sequel. It will be explaining some parts of the story like about Koji's parents. Hope you'd read it too.**


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